Improving Body Representation and Motor Skills with a Preschool Education Program: A Preliminary Study

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Pediatric occupational therapy
• Educational interventions

Background:

• Body representation is crucial for developing efficient motor skills.
• No structured, evidence-based programs for body representation currently exist in schools.
• The ENCOR program was developed with teachers and occupational therapists for autonomous school implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of the school-based ENCOR program on body representation and motor skills in preschool children.
• To provide an evidence-based program for enhancing foundational cognitive abilities in early education.

Main Methods:

• A controlled study involving 23 preschool children aged 5-6 years.
• Intervention group received the ENCOR program; control group received standard education.
• Evaluated body representation accuracy, precision, and motor skills.

Main Results:

• Body representation accuracy and localization precision increased by approximately 20% and 37% in the ENCOR group.
• Reduced frequency of left-right discrimination errors in the body part naming task.
• Demonstrated a significant improvement in motor skills following the ENCOR training.

Conclusions:

• The ENCOR program effectively enhances body representation and motor skills in young children.
• This school-based intervention offers a scalable solution for implementing body representation education.
• Further research should explore ENCOR's impact on broader cognitive and academic outcomes.